The Exchange

Several high-profile suicides have been the focus of a national conversation, and recent numbers show that the rate in New Hampshire is up nearly 50 percent over the past 20 years. The Exchange on Thursday, June 14, will examine what's causing this rise in suicide deaths, and how N.H. is approaching this difficult topic. 

How are tariffs and international trade disputes impacting our state? We also take a look at summer employment, including the shortage of workers. And, how do large companies mergers impact the little guys?

It's been called one of the toughest jobs in the state: Commissioner of the Department of Corrections. Since last November, Helen Hanks has held the position, overseeing three prisons, probation offices, and transitional housing units.  Also on her watch:  The opening of a new women's prison after a long legal battle over equal treatment for female prisoners, and protests over the practice of housing non-criminal patients in the state prison's secure psychiatric unit.

In this Race for the 1st conversation, The Exchange talks with Maura Sullivan, a Democrat running in the closely watched race for New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. 

Sullivan is a Marine who was born in Illinois and moved to New Hampshire after serving as Assistant Secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other postings, for the Obama administration. 

We look at the public feud between the largest state employees union and the top managers of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.  Are state liquor store employees at risk in high-volume cash sales?  Lakes Region residents consider possible future plans for the former Laconia State School.   And what to do with the troublesome bear pardoned by Governor Sununu last year, now rummaging again in backyards in the Upper Valley.

GUESTS:

New research shows that illnesses carried by ticks and mosquitos are on the rise. We talk about why these creatures are carrying more disease, and what you need to know about illnesses such as Lyme, babesiosis, and Zika.

The National Football League recently announced a new policy requiring players to stand during the national anthem or stay in the locker room. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump called off a visit by the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House, citing the dispute over the NFL kneeling ban. We check out issues of constitutionality and find out how players and owners are reacting. 

A recent study found that New Hampshire reduced opioid prescriptions by 15% last year, the largest drop in the country.  How have physicians changed how they prescribe opiods in acute, and chronic care settings?

CRISPR stands for "Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats".  It allows scientists to precisely target and cut any kind of genetic material, including in humans.  This gene editing tool has given hope for treating diseases like cancer, muscular dystrophy, and ALS.  Gene-editing breakthroughs are also raising ethical questions, however, and we look at possible future applications for the technique.

In this Race for the 1st conversation, Laura talks with Chris Pappas, a Democrat running in the closely watched race for New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. 

Pappas is the owner of the Puritan Backroom Restaurant, a restaurant in Manchester, and is a member of the N.H. Executive Council. He was formerly a state representative, and Treasurer of Hillsborough County. 

Our Race for the First conversations will focus on the issues at the forefront in the CD1 race, including opioids, guns, veterans, and how each candidate plans to stand out in a crowded race. 

We find out why the A.C.L.U. of N.H. is challenging the voting law, HB1264, that is before the N.H. Supreme Court. After exhaustive investigations, New Hampshire's Ballot Law Commission determines no voter took place in recent elections and has an explanation for claims of "busloads" of out-of-state voters.  A border patrol roadblock on I-93 over Memorial Day weekend nets seventeen immigration violations and the A.C.L.U. has questions.  And keep your free-range chicken in your own yard or face a fine.

With pleasant weather comes a busy hiking season in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. A misread map, a sudden storm, a forgotten headlamp - and suddenly a hike could turn into a matter of survival. We look at a new book, "Critical Hours," that offers a history and a celebration of the search and rescue workers and volunteers who save lives in the White Mountains.  The growth of inexpensive but sophisticated navigation devices and mobile phones have become part of the experience for both hikers and rescuers. We examine the impact of ubiquitous technology and the future of search and rescue operations.

Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement to petition to get taken guns away from potential mass-shooters.  A handful of states have these laws, including Vermont, but more are considering this approach.  Still, they raise lots of questions: who decides that someone poses a threat, and do these laws make a difference?  

We kick off the summer season with NHPR's Outside/In.  First, sharing the road between bikes and cars, and one cyclists's war against bike lanes.  Then, an american lobster in Stockholm. Is Scandinavia is in the midst of a foreign lobster invasion?

For Memorial Day, we revisit our earlier conversation about "Ninety Percent Mental" - that's what Yogi Berra said about baseball, and it's also the title of former Major League pitcher Bob Tewksbury's new book.  After years in "the show" Tewksbury is now part of the growing trend in baseball focusing on psychological strategies to maximize performance.  Yogi Berra's quote continued with "the other half is physical" and Tewksbury will also reminisce about some of the game-changing characters from his time on the mound. 

We dig into the results of the legislative session as it winds up, and tally up Governor Sununu's wins and losses.  Eversource gets permission to invest in gas pipelines to supply electricity - NHPR's Annie Ropeik considers ramifications for future efforts to revive Northern Pass. And the town of Hampstead decides to cut back on homework.  NHPR's political reporter Lauren Chooljian will be in for her first stint as substitute host.  

Our series on mental health in New Hampshire concludes with a look at the role of the state psychiatric hospital in responding to crises, and at what happens once a patient leaves, including what's available in terms of treatment, jobs, housing, and community support. 

The Exchange: In-Depth

Our series continues with a  look at the criminal justice system.  Many incarcerated Americans are behind bars due to some form of mental illness, and in recent years, the courts and police have been trying to adapt. We're examining the complex intersection between the mental health and legal systems. 

In the first of our four-day In-Depth series, The Exchange explored whether mental health care in New Hampshire has improved since the state agreed to invest more in the system  — part of a 2014 legal settlement. All agreed there's been progress. There's more help for people in crisis and more transitional housing.

But there's still plenty of room for improvement, including on permanent-housing arrrangements and reimbursement rates for struggling community mental health centers.  

The Exchange: In-Depth. Our series continues with a focus on children. Research shows many cases of mental illness begin by age 14 and that addressing trauma early can help prevent some disorders. Meanwhile, the state is required by law to provide better care for youth. We'll find out how the system is working from teachers, providers, and parents.  

The Exchange: In-Depth

On the first of our four-day series, we get an overview of mental health care in New Hampshire, including efforts to bolster the community support system, as required under a 2013 legal settlement.  We'll also find out how a new 10-year plan for mental health is shaping up, and how it differs from the last 10-year plan.  Among the issues yet to be solved: long emergency-room waits for people in crisis, an average of 37 people daily, according to the N.H. chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. 

In this Race for the 1st conversation, The Exchange on Monday interviews Mark MacKenzie, a Democrat running in the closely watched race for New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District. 

MacKenzie lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he serves as a Representative, and he also served as a firefighter for the city for many years. He is a former President of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO. 

The governor says it will be hard not to sign a bill that would tighten voter eligibility if the N.H. Supreme Court says it is indeed constitutional.  Lawmakers fail to reach a compromise on animal cruelty legislation.  And police search a wooded area in Manchester in the case of a decades-old missing woman with possible links to the Bear Brook killings.

GUESTS: